YouTube Updates: Live Chat Polls, Green Screen for Shorts & more

The latest updates by YouTube for creators on the platform focus on tools that aim to improve communication with viewers such as Live Chat Polls, offer exclusivity to the subscriber base, streamline Shorts creation, and more.

The updates on Live, Shorts, and more were announced by the YouTube team through the Creator Insider channel.

Trailers On Live Streams

Previously, Trailers enabled creators to share a 15 seconds clip from a 3-minute video of a scheduled Live Premiere, when the feature was launched last year.

Trailers are now also available for upcoming and scheduled Live streams from the Live control room and webcam with the same functionality as Premiere. The feature is going to be available to channels with over 1,000 subscribers and 0 strikes.

This means creators can now promote and publicize their Live streams, set expectations with the viewers, and release certain extracts or select details from their upcoming stream.

Live Chat Polls

Live interactions have been a significant tool to enable real-time conversations between creators and viewers, and with the new addition, once Live chat is enabled, Polls will be available in the Live Chat window.

Also Read: YouTube rolls out new revenue stream for creators

Comments Translation

With feedback from creators, YouTube gathered that understanding comments in languages users do not understand is essential. To limit the language barriers within the global community, YouTube has added a translate button to change the comment to a language they understand and speak.

Selectively rolling out in the YouTube main app (mobile), the update may also be available to YouTube Studio (mobile) and desktop, to streamline understanding the comments made by users over a hundred languages.

Subscribers-only Chat

A creator can enable a mode in Live Chat that restricts Live Chat to only subscribers that have subscribed to the channel (host) for a pre-determined period of time. The feature has been launched for all creators and is now out of the testing phase.

Green Screen For Shorts

Green Screen mode can be used to devise a photo from the Gallery to be used as a background for Shorts. The mode will serve the purpose of a real green screen background, differentiating the subject with a replaceable backdrop. The feature would be rolled out to all creators in the coming weeks.